


How to Avoid Falling in Love

by McCrying



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slow Build, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, albus is in love and he can't help it, literally i was cringing from the fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:48:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McCrying/pseuds/McCrying
Summary: Seven steps to ensure you do not fall in love.Seven ways Albus Severus failed.Based on the WikiHow article: How to Avoid Falling in Love[literally it's just Albus falling in love with Scorpius]





	

_**Breathe**. You might feel very nervous or giddy while talking to him or thinking about him. All you need to do now is to calm down. It will pass._

The first time Albus laid his eyes on the blonde haired boy his breath was taken away. Albus found him alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, fiddling with his fingers and staring out the window, watching the passing scenery with glazed eyes. The boy looked nice enough so Albus knocked on the door.

Albus was nervous as he introduced himself, struggling to catch his breath as he attempted to force his heart back down his throat. He wasn’t very good at meeting people. The boy, Scorpius, seemed to be suffering from an equivalent of nerves, as he stumbled on his greeting. They became instant friends.

The next time Albus lost his breath in front of Scorpius it wasn’t due to nerves. The feeling was foreign to Albus, who was now in his second year at Hogwarts. It was morning and time for classes, and Albus and Scorpius were running late. Having been held up by the moving staircases, the boys were sprinting to locate the History of Magic room.

Scorpius, being his clumsy self, tripped over thin air and managed to slide at least two metres on his stomach down the corridor. Albus couldn’t suppress the giggle that left his mouth as he watched his best friend penguin slide. Completely embarrassed, Scorpius blushed and stumbled to his feet, obviously avoiding eye contact. It was when Albus reached out to grab Scorpius’ shoulder that his heart fell flat in his stomach. The look in Scorpius’ eyes was enough to make Albus himself blush. He blamed the running for that.

It continued like that for a while, years in fact. Scorpius would do something either embarrassing or completely out-of-the-blue sweet and Albus would find himself trying, but failing, to inhale air into his lungs. He was unable to control his heart in the presence of Scorpius.

It reached the point where Albus wondered if he had asthma. He didn’t.

 

_**Realize that you're falling in love**. When you feel that you're refreshing your email waiting for him to respond, or you must wear makeup when you see him, it's sure that you like him. The first step is admitting that you have a problem._

Albus was known for being oblivious. There were a few times in his life where his brother had stolen something that belonged to Albus and he would never notice until it was returned. In fact, he didn’t notice many things that seemed out of the norm. He definitely did not notice his blossoming feelings for his best friend.

Albus stared at Scorpius as he walked into the Slytherin common room in their fourth year. His eyes scanned the blonde, who had obviously just showered. Scorpius looks stunning¸ Albus thought to himself. He continued to gaze at his best friend as he sat down, shoulder almost bumping against Albus’.  
“Are you okay,” Scorpius asked. “You’re looking at me funny.”

“You’re beautiful.” Albus didn’t think twice about letting the words leave his mouth. Scorpius’ blushed at the shorter boy’s unexpected compliment but didn’t say anything further.

Months followed where Albus would pay Scorpius random compliments, not understanding the impact it had on the Malfoy. Albus didn’t realise that his words to Scorpius were different to before. He said what he thought and Scorpius paid the price of being flustered for the rest of the day.

Albus was oblivious to the fact that his heart beat faster every time he saw the beautiful boy. He was oblivious to the twisting of his stomach whenever Scorpius said his name. He was oblivious to the murmurs of other students spreading rumours about the two boys dating. He was oblivious to the knowing glances his parents shared whenever he mentioned his best friend.

Albus was oblivious to the fact that he was falling in love.

 

_**Give yourself some space**. Do not obsessively email or text him. Try to maintain the distance from him._

Albus spent every waking moment with Scorpius during school and when they weren’t at school he spent every waking moment writing to Scorpius. It was almost as if he were a leech, clinging to Scorpius like his life depended on it. It wasn’t like Scorpius had ever complained though.

Albus insisted on studying with Scorpius, eating with Scorpius, going to the library with Scorpius and spending free time with Scorpius. It was a wonder he hadn’t started requesting to bathe with the other.

There was one time, during fifth year, where the two boys had gotten into trouble for talking during class and were seated on opposite ends of the room for a week. The professor at hand of this crime noticed a severe drop in the productivity and concentration of Albus and decided to just put the two back together again. Albus immediately stopped brooding and started participating in the class again.

Albus always found school breaks difficult. It wasn’t that he hated spending time with his relatives but rather that he hated spending time away from Scorpius. He’d wait by his bedroom window, staring into the midnight sky watching for the family owl. Every time something that may be a bird fluttered in the distance, Albus’ heart would stutter. He would eagerly respond to all of Scorpius’ letters, sending short anecdotes to the teenager he knew was also awaiting his letter.

Not once did Albus grow tired of Scorpius’ presence, and not once did he feel as though he was smothering the other.

 

_**Engage yourself in other activities**. Try to distract yourself from thinking about him by trying out different activities._

Albus never liked Quidditch. Much to his father’s dismay, the sport only confused Albus and whenever he played against his cousins he only got agitated. It almost seemed as though Albus didn’t enjoy anything that didn’t involve his lanky accomplice.

When he was younger, before he started at Hogwarts, he used to enjoy playing the piano. He’d spend evenings buried in books about muggle monsters. He also seemed to take a liking to cooking. All that, however, changed after his first year at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Everything that once grabbed Albus’ attention lost its appeal if a certain blonde haired Slytherin wasn’t involved.

Albus’ mother pressured him into joining social groups at Hogwarts.  
“You need to make more friends,” she’d say. Albus, not being able to reject his mother’s pestering did join one of the social groups (the study group – it didn’t require as much talking as the others) but he only did it because Scorpius agreed to join as well. Ginny could not avoid that loop hole.

Albus never did well in that study group. It seemed as though he was more focused on watching Scorpius study than actually studying himself. Sometimes Scorpius’ cheeks would flush pink when he caught Albus staring at him. Albus could only think that Scorpius looked adorable with that blush on his cheeks.

 

_**Self Deception.** It might be a bit difficult but very important. Convince yourself that you don't care and that he's just a friend. The more you ignore him, the easier it is._

Scorpius was much more than a friend to Albus. Sometime during sixth year this much was proven. The line between being best friends and boyfriends blurred and continued to blur until it was completely invisible.

The point in which simply walking side by side turned to walking hand in hand, and the point where waving goodbye became longing hugs was unknown to both of the boys. No one questioned them about it and that was as much as Albus could ask for. He couldn’t bear the thought of reverting back to distant interactions. He craved the feel of Scorpius, simply being near him wasn’t enough.

Albus couldn’t escape Scorpius, not that he wanted to. Whenever Scorpius was so much in the same room as Albus it was as if he emitted an aura, something that washed over Albus and caused his brain to malfunction.

He thrived off of Scorpius’ presence and he persevered through Scorpius’ absences. Albus knew that Scorpius meant everything to him and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

_**Tell a friend.** Talk to someone about it. They'll understand better your emotional state and your motivations, and you can have a shoulder to cry on when you get drunk and weepy._

Albus did have friends other than Scorpius but he didn’t talk to them much. The other boys in their dorm room were kind enough, but they kept to themselves, as did Scorpius and Albus. Albus did, however, talk to his family.

Albus’ parents were mailed letter after letter from Albus, mostly Albus explaining something he and Scorpius had done. Albus also spoke to his sister, gushing over Scorpius, reasoning with her that he was the best, most pure person to bless this earth. Lily would giggle in response, pat her brother’s shoulder and make a comment on how ‘smitten’ he was. Albus couldn’t help but agree.

Rose was also growing tired of hearing about her cousin’s unconditional love for his best friend. It wasn’t that she hated the Malfoy, but she didn’t need to know how he breathes when he’s having a nightmare or the fact that he holds his cutlery slightly different to the rest of the human population. Whenever Albus would come running to her, obviously about to make a speech on his oh so precious Scorpius, she would try to come up with some excuse as to why she had to leave right then. Albus never caught the hint that the girl didn’t care about Scorpius’ handwriting.

The person who had the pleasure of enduring the majority of Albus’ Scorpius rants was not, in fact, Rose. It was his older brother James. James, although he comes across as a little snarky, never made an excuse to run away from Albus when he was approached. He actually enjoyed hearing his brother brag about his best friend. The time that Albus came clean about his feelings for Scorpius, James was there to support him. He helped his brother come up with a plan to ask Scorpius on a proper date, promising him that the other definitely reciprocated the feelings. It was the least that he could do for his favourite brother.  
After that, James always got a complete rundown on Albus’ dates with Scorpius and he could never contain the ear-splitting grin that graced his face at the look of his younger brother’s lovesick eyes.

 

_**Know that it will pass.** All have had crushes on people long back, but they don't do now. As time goes, the feeling will also go away._

The feelings Albus had for Scorpius never stopped growing. He could never catch his breath at the sight of his boyfriend. His heart would stop whenever they touched or kissed. Albus couldn’t contain his excitement before seeing Scorpius, his ears pulsating with anticipation to hear the other’s voice. Being around Scorpius was sure to give him cardiac arrest some day, but he didn’t care.

The point at which Albus fell in love with his best friend is unknown. He never realised the change in his feelings, only that he suddenly felt them. Perhaps it was in their seventh year at Hogwarts, the year they started dating. Or maybe it was earlier, the first time he laid eyes upon the nervous blonde boy. It didn’t matter to Albus when he fell in love. All he knew that he was very, deeply head over heels with Scorpius and he was never happier.

Albus proposed years after their graduation. He proposed knowing that he wanted to spend every moment of the rest of his life with his best friend, his soulmate. He, of course, had his own independent career, but he wanted to come home to familiar eyes and a warm hug. He never doubted his feelings for the other, and knew that a life with Scorpius was a life he wanted to live a hundred times. They shared stories with their friends, their families and eventually their adoptive children.

Their love grew and grew and it will continue to grow forevermore. That much, Albus was sure of.

**Author's Note:**

> so i've spent the last week destroying all my friendships and stressing about uni.
> 
> so naturally i wrote this...
> 
> you could tell me that albus is not a complete sap and i would tell you that you're wrong.
> 
> and i just learnt how to actually work this website so i now gift you with bolded and italicised words. ur welc.


End file.
